


We Can’t Keep The Cat

by asriellex



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 11:55:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16304729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asriellex/pseuds/asriellex
Summary: Based on a chapter from the From Shadows RWBY Manga Anthology—Blake finds a cat abandoned in the rain. She knows pets aren’t allowed at Beacon, but she takes it back anyways.





	We Can’t Keep The Cat

It was raining. Quite hard, now that she thought about it. 

That just made her feel even worse for the poor creature enduring it.

It was a cat. It sat in the box in front of her, it’s dirty, white fur was wet and matted, however it didn’t seem to mind the rain.

Blake couldn’t just leave it there, but animals weren’t allowed in the dorms either.

Oh well.

—-

She turned the knob and opened the door. Instantly, she was met with her teammates’ eyes staring at her.

“Blake! You’re back! How was-” her jubilant teammate started to say before noticing the cat she held in her arms. “Is… that a cat?”

“Yes, I found it abandoned near an apartment complex. I couldn’t just leave it out there in this weather,” she explained, as Ruby’s eyes lit up.

“Aw! It’s so cute! I’ve always wanted a cat!” She got up and approached it, before slowly lowering her hand onto the cat’s head, and petting it. The cat clearly liked it, for Blake could feel the creature purring in her arms.

“You know we can’t keep it, right?” Weiss interrupted. “It’s against school rules.”

Blake narrowed her eyes slightly. Yes, she knew Weiss was right, but the way she said it was uncalled for.

“We know Ice Queen, don’t be so rude about it,” Yang retorted, “and besides, it’s not like we can find it a home in point-two seconds. One way or another it’s gonna have to crash here for a few days.”

Blake loved that about Yang, she knew how to put people in their place. It worked in this situation because Weiss rolled her eyes, ultimately admitting that Yang was right.

“Yeah! And we’re always good at getting away with stuff!” Ruby turned around to face the two girl’s opposite of them.

“I mean…” Yang started, but was silenced by her sister holding up a hand.

“We don’t need examples, Yang.”

Blake giggled at the sisters’ playful banter. It was times like those where she wished she had a sister.

Then that Blake set the cat down on the floor. Everyone watched it in anticipation, only to watch it scurry under Blake’s bed.

She slowly went to go look under it, seeing the cat curled up in the corner.

“Poor thing, I had a feeling it would do this,” she retreated to leave the cat alone. Hopefully it’ll come around.

“Oh! It’s going to need food isn’t it!” the young leader made Blake realize that she would, in fact, need to purchase cat food.

“You’re right, I’ll probably just head back out and pick some up. It’s not like I have anything better to do,” Blake announces, and no one argued. 

“I’ll go with you! Ruby and I may not have had a cat, but we have a dog, so that’s at least some experience,” Yang offered, and Blake didn’t have any reason to turn her down seeing as she herself has never owned a pet.

“While you two are out, Ruby and I could start searching the internet to find it a home,” Weiss chimed in.

“That would be great, thank you,” Blake smiled softly, whilst Yang grabbed her things and joined Blake by the door.

“Ready to go?” Yang looked at her with mesmerizing lilac eyes.

All Blake could muster was a simple nod, before starting out the door with her partner.

—-

The rain had finally cleared up, in its wake were puddles and fog. All in all, it was a very calming atmosphere, and she found herself enjoying it.

Luckily, the nearest pet store was not too far from the school, so they didn’t have to take Yang’s death trap that she called a “motorcycle.”

They walked in silence for a while. It wasn’t awkward silence, though, thankfully.

“So a literal cat girl has never had a cat before, huh?” The blonde was the first one to speak practically since their departure. Her hands were in the pockets of her jeans, as she casually walked beside her.

“Yeah, it’s kind of ironic huh? I guess because everyone in my family is a cat, it never made to sense to have an _actual_ cat,” she explained, and Yang nodded.

“That’s understandable.”

“What about you and Ruby? She said earlier that she’s always wanted a cat. Is there a reason why you couldn’t get one?”

“Yeah, actually, my dad’s a bit allergic to them. Said that if we actually had one in the house all the time he wouldn’t be able to breathe,” Yang chuckled, and Blake couldn’t help but smile at her.

And then they arrived at the pet store.

The partners roamed throughout the small store, ultimately getting distracted while commenting on the ridiculous names that certain brands have given their pet food.

“Ooh, this looks good!” Yang picked up a variety pack from some generic brand, one that didn’t have any ridiculous names. Yes it was boring, but it had a lot of options, so it seemed like the best option.

The girls purchased the food, along with some cheap plastic food bowls, and began heading back to Beacon.

They chatted here and there on their way back, and just as they were about to approach the school, Blake felt a drop of water fall on her hand.

Then another on her cheek.

And then another on her other hand.

“Oh no,” she said, looking around her, seeing ripples in the puddles left by the previous storm.

Just like that, it started raining again.

She felt Yang grab her hand, and pull her underneath a nearby awning.

Blake looked at the school, so close and yet so far. They still had to cross the street, and get through the incredibly extensive courtyard.

“Here,” she heard Yang’s voice from behind her. She turned around to see said girl taking off her jacket. 

“What are you-” She was cut off, as Yang put her arm around her waist, and pulled her close.

Despite how cold the weather was, her cheeks became considerably warm.

“Stay close to me, okay?” The blonde looked at her, and she nodded.

“Hold this up,” Yang gave her part of her jacket and did as she was told. She then saw her hold up the other half of her jacket. It acted as a makeshift umbrella.

“I mean, it’s better that nothing right?” Yang smiled.

“Yeah, good idea.”

“You ready? I hope you can keep up.”

Blake rolled her eyes. “Doubtful, but I’ll try my best.”

“Alright then, 3...2...1…go!”

The two girls took off running, quickly making it across the street. They ran under the trees that lined the sides of the courtyard, hoping for at least some protection.

Yang was _extremely_ fast, but thankfully, Blake was able to keep up.

They were about half way across the courtyard now, but the rain kept falling and showed no signs of stopping.

They made a mad dash for the doors, moving away from what little protection the trees provided them.

They were so close. The doors kept drawing nearer and nearer until finally… they made it.

Both girls were out of breath, but luckily, not soaking wet. 

Then they realized that Yang was still holding onto Blake. Yang let her go, and the two shared a laugh.

Although, Blake wouldn’t mind if Yang held her like that again.

Not that she would ever tell her that.

They went back inside and headed for their dorm. Blake wondered if that cat was okay. Hopefully Ruby’s love for animals didn’t get the best of her and ended up traumatizing the poor cat.

When they arrived, it was just the opposite.

Weiss sat at her desk, her scroll in hand, while Ruby was on the floor, the white cat splayed out in front of her. The young leader seemed to be taunting it with a feathered toy of some sort, its paws desperately reaching out in an attempt to grab it.

“You’re back!” Ruby said upon noticing their presence.

“Yup! And we got food!” Yang replied, alluding to the shopping bag Blake was holding.

“I managed to put out an advertisement on a pet adoption website. He isn’t necessarily a kitten, but he’s a very small cat, so he should get adopted in no time,” the heiress said, turning away from her screen to face them.

Blake raised an eyebrow, “He?”

“Oh yeah! We found out he’s a boy. Calling him an ‘it’ doesn’t seem right y’know?” Ruby answered, beginning to pet the cat’s belly.

She smiled, “I totally agree.”

Herself and Yang set up food for him. As soon as she opened up the can, he came running over to her, knowing he was about to be fed. Blake could only imagine he had only been eating scraps for however long he was left outside. She tried not to think about that.

They set down his food and water bowls in the corner of the room, and watched happily as he ate everything up.

By the time he had finished eating, it was dark, and team RWBY had grown increasingly tired. One by one, they all retired for the night. First Ruby, then Yang, and then Weiss. Blake was the only one left awake.

She laid in bed, her eyes beginning to droop as she finished up another chapter of her book. Deciding that she was too tired to continue, she closed it and put it on the dresser beside her bed.

Just as she was about to roll over, she felt a sudden presence on her bed.

She opened her eyes to see a familiar figure covered in white fur approaching her face.

The cat began to sniff her, his nose brushing up against her own. She smiled.

The cat retracted backward, moving towards the divot in the sheets made by her own body. He began to knead the area, before curling up in it. His warm little body against her own made her feel safe.

She reached to pet him, and just like when Ruby had done it, he began to purr. 

It made her heart melt.

Unfortunately, her tiredness, got the best of her, and she slowly began drifting off to sleep.

—-

Blake’s eyes fluttered open. the light that poured in through the singular window of their dorm room was a bit jarring, but she quickly adjusted to it.

To her surprise, the cat had not left the position he was in the night before. In fact, he was sound asleep.

She looked around the room, and noticed that Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were nowhere to be found.

Then as if it was on que, Yang walked out of the bathroom.

“Oh!” Yang said in a hushed tone, “You’re up!”

The blonde was still in her signature pajamas. Not that she cared, it was a Sunday after all.

Yang knelt beside her bed, reaching arm out to pet the cat. Blake could feel it purring again.

“Did you sleep well?” Yang asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah I did,” she answered tiredly.

As much as she didn’t want to move and disturb the cat, she desperately needed to stretch. Slowly, she got herself into a sitting position. Of course he began to move, but all he really did was just reposition himself on her bed.

Yang was still petting him, and Blake looked at her fondly as she did so. As much as a brute the girl was, she couldn’t be a more caring and loving person.

“I know it’s weird, but he kind of reminds me of you in a way,” the blonde said.

Blake laughed, “Why? Because we’re both cats?”

Yang looked at her and smiled, “You know me so well, but there’s more than that. I was thinking about how he ran and hid as soon as you put him down yesterday.”

Blake nodded.

“Then after a while, he came out and trusted us enough to let us play with him, and clearly trusted you enough to sleep right next to you. Sound familiar?” The girl continued to pet him, and look at her with those lilac eyes.

She rose an eyebrow and smirked.

“You didn’t trust us _at all_ in the beginning, but look at us now! Closer than we’ve ever been before, because you eventually put your trust in us.” Yang smiled, and caused Blake to smile back.

But then a thought hit her.

“You know, I only put my trust in you because you all put your trust in me. But it was you specifically that made me realize I could trust you back.”

Yang’s smile dropped, a confused expression crossed her face.

“Remember that time before the dance? I couldn’t sleep because Torchwick was still out there. You took me into a classroom and told me about your mother.”

Blake could see the slight shift in Yang’s expression as she said that.

“You told me all of that because you trusted me, right?” 

“Yeah, of course,” Yang nodded.

“If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have told you and Weiss about Adam the night we were on that mission with Dr. Oobleck,” she smiled softly at her.

Yang’s smile slowly returned to her face, the two girls looked at each other for a moment, before a look of realization came upon Yang.

“Right! I forgot to tell you!” Yang began, “Weiss got a response to the ad she posted yesterday. Somebody wants to adopt him.”

—-

It was raining again. Not as hard as the day she had first found the cat, but it was in no way a slight drizzle.

Reluctantly, she handed him over to the little girl. Her mother held an umbrella over them, so she didn’t have to worry about the cat getting wet again.

She had him for less than a week, but as soon as he left her arms, she could feel her heart ache.

She and the mother exchanged their gratitude, before her and the little girl walked away. It wasn’t long before the cat disappeared out of sight. It was the last time she would see him.

She felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes.

A hand grasped her own. Blake turned to see her partner beside her. One hand holding hers, and the other holding an umbrella over their heads.

“Hey Blake, it’s okay,” Yang’s voice was calm. It put her at ease.

Just moments later, as they were walking back to Beacon, fewer and fewer raindrops began to fall from the sky.

Yang retracted the umbrella, to reveal a rainbow that had graced the sky above them.

Blake looked up and smiled.

“He’s going to have a wonderful life.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I promise I have more works coming in the future, but here’s a quick oneshot for now :)


End file.
